This invention relates to an ink jet cartridge or cassette as used in an ink jet printer, more particularly to an ink jet cartridge which has a one-piece housing filled with ink and does not have a foam member. It will be appreciated, however, that the invention may find application in other applications and environments that encounter the same issues.
It is generally known in the art to form a cartridge housing or body having one or more cavities or chambers to hold a predetermined supply of ink. For example, a single color of ink may be provided into a chamber cartridge or multiple chambers may be provided, for example, each holding a different color ink stored therein for selective use in a printer.
It is also generally known to provide an ink absorbing member such as reticulated polyurethane or melamine foam that fits within one or more of the chambers. In some arrangements, the ink absorbing member fills the substantial entirety of the chamber, where in other instances a portion of the ink supply is free ink and the remainder of the ink is stored in the ink absorbing member. One or more outlet ports communicate with the respective one or more chambers through outlet passages. The outlet passage proceeds to a first or bottom wall of the housing. A supply needle from an associated printer extends through the outlet port and thus conveys ink from the housing to a recording head or a print head.
Typical ink jet cartridges are formed of a welded construction. The cartridge includes a housing and a lid or cover member welded onto the housing. The welding process adds time and expense to the manufacturing process of the cartridge. There is a need for a one-piece, homogeneous, integrally formed housing for an ink jet cartridge.
An ink absorbing member or foam is typically used as a resistive force to meter ink flow. There is, however, a need for an ink jet cartridge which does not use the foam reservoir. This allows use of pigmented ink in the cartridge which has an archival print. Foam reservoirs prevent the use of pigmented ink since the foam acts as a filter thus trapping pigment solid particles within the foam. A blow-molded single casing ink jet cartridge with a diaphragm-type venting mechanism would permit the use of pigmented ink. Thus, there is a need for a full liquid ink jet cartridge which does not have a foam reservoir to allow the use of pigmented ink in an ink jet printer.